Snakes' Nest
by elmira777
Summary: When Rose Clifton, pureblooded witch, had been abducted and forced to marry Barty Crouch Jr, it didn't even cross her mind that this was her chance to save the world. She was just trying to survive in this nest of snakes. Torn between Light and Dark, Rose must decide where her loyalties lie. AU, takes place after GoF.
1. Prologue

Prologue

Curses were flying everywhere as Rose tried to stand up. She heard screams and cries of fighting men all around her. This was it. The end of everything she loved. Either way, she would lose all she held dear.

_"You take away the last bits of my sanity."_

She tried to reach the center of the courtyard, where Bellatrix and Barty were duelling with McGonagall and some aurors from the Ministry. They were fighting for their master, for the cause which they considered right and just. What she was fighting for?

_"I was afraid tonight, more afraid than ever. Afraid of losing you."_

There was one thing that Barty Crouch Jr. wouldn't do for Rose – he wouldn't give up on Voldemort. And there was one thing he wouldn't do for Voldemort – he wouldn't give up on Rose.

_"I would gladly receive Dementor's Kiss tomorrow if I could spend one more night with you. But I can't. The Dark Lord needs me."_

_And I need you – _thought Rose frantically, as she stumbled over someone's body. She tried not to think if that person was unconscious or dead.

When had she stopped hating this madman and started to feel lust for him? Maybe it was on their first night, when he held her in a way she would never expect from a crazy murderer. Or maybe it was when she responded to his kisses for the first time. And just when had this desire turned into love? Was it when he screamed at night, plagued by memories of Azkaban and she held him close, whispering soothing words, just like his mother did everytime his father had punished him? Maybe it was when they danced at that party held in Malfoy's Manor, and he swayed her gently in his arms. Or when he took her to the park, and smiled at her with warmth, not the cruel or crazy smile she saw so often on his face.

There was one thing Rose wouldn't do for Barty – she wouldn't destroy the world and let Voldemort win. And there was one thing she wouldn't do for the world – she wouldn't destroy Barty.

_Take your pick_ – whispered Fate, and its voice strangely reminded her of Neville Longbottom. And she made her decision.


	2. The Letter

**Disclaimer : I own nothing. Except Rose. Enjoy!**

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The flat was silent as Rose sat in the kitchen reading a letter she received from Dumbledore earlier that morning. It was cold and rainy day, so she blessed the warmth and coziness of her home but unluckily for her soon she would have to go outside because of the message from her former headmaster.

_Miss Clifton,_

_Let me invite you for a cup of tea at my place, this afternoon. I have to discuss some important matter with you, about your after work activities, which I think you will find most helpful._

_I am looking forward to our meeting,_

_Albus Dumbledore_

She frowned at the thought of leaving home and going all the way through London to Grimmuald Place, for she knew that was what Dumbledore meant by "my place". And "after work activities" certainly referred to her membership in the Order of Phoenix. Rose sighed.  
She was tired from spending all day at St. Mungo's where she worked as a healer and now this? Nonetheless she rose from her chair and headed towards bathroom. After brushing her hair quickly, the girl put on her cloak and exited the flat. The weather was awful and it started to rain more heavily.

_Just my luck!_ – she thought and wrapped her scarf closer around her neck.

Rose wondered what was that important matter which Dumbledore had to discuss with her. Surely it wasn't something of great importance to the Order. Rose was a freshman in the group and her role there was insignificant. Her time at Hogwarts had ended two years ago with excellent notes in potions, charms, and herbology and then she started to work as a healer. She had some useful skills in that domain but they hadn't been used by the Order thus far.

Truthfully, Rose hadn't participated in any mission and no one really paid attention to her at the meetings. They all smiled at her politely and chatted, sure, but her opinion on important matters didn't count. No one asked her what she thought.

It had been a great surprise for her when Dumbledore had come to her personally a few weeks ago and asked her to join his cause. He had never paid much attention to her back in school, and she was no expert in DADA classes either, so it was strange but she agreed nonetheless.

After incidents during the Triwizard Tournament, one couldn't feel safe anymore, especially when the Ministry refused to see the truth and tried to decry both Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter. In Rose's opinion, Fudge was an idiot. He wouldn't believe in You-Know-Who's return even if he'd apparated right into minister's study. Every wand could be useful when the war started ( and that was what was going to happen for sure ) and Rose was eager to help in every way she could.

Finally, she reached her destination. Quickly, Rose climbed the stairs leading to the front door of Black's house and entered the hall. It was warm here although pitch dark. A smudge of light spread through splits in kitchen's door and that was the only source. Rose had to walk slowly for she didn't want to wake that horrific painting which hung on the nearby wall. Mrs. Black must have been one nasty old hag during her life if her portrait truly did mirror even the slightest bit of her real character.

After taking few steps ahead the girl noticed a man, who exited the kitchen and came closer in view. Sirius Black was still very handsome, even after all this years in Azkaban. He smiled at the girl and she blushed slightly. Rose kicked herself mentally.

_Good for me that it's so dark here, or else I would make a fool of myself. Again._

"It's good to see a familiar face," he said.

_Well, that is an overstatement giving that we're in complete darkness_ – thought Rose but said nothing, too busy trying not to stumble on the carpet.

"Recently, there weren't any meetings so I'm all alone here with Kreacher," Sirius continued as he led her to the kitchen. As if on call, the ugliest house-elf Rose had ever seen emerged from the pantry. He glared at Rose with his pale eyes.

"Filthy, little blood-traitor," he muttered.

"Get out!" Sirius snarled at the creature.

The house-elf left immediately but not without couple more silent insults.

"Sorry about that. He has a screw missing, pay no attention to him. Want some tea?"

They sat at the table, talking about Rose's work. Sirius seemed to be very interested in their conversation, joking and telling her funny stories about his school days. Rose thought that he must have been lonely and he was just grateful for the company of another human being. She couldn't imagine being forced to stay in this creepy place with crazy house-elf and even crazier portrait of a mother who despised her own son more than anything.

Rose liked Sirius right from the start, he was a good man with great sense of humour. A bit irresponsible at times but very brave. He always kept her company during meetings of the Order and chatted with her at dinners when everyone came to try the delicious cuisine from Mrs. Weasley whenever she was present at Grimmuald Place. In fact, he was the only person who treated Rose seriously. She had a feeling that he understood her because they both were somewhat excluded from Order's activities. Except that in Sirius's case it was for his own safety, and in Rose's case the reason was unknown. If Dumbledore didn't consider her good enough, why had he recruited her in the first place?

After a while, they heard silent footsteps outside the door and Dumbledore came in.

"Rose. Sirius." He greeted them with a smile.

He hadn't changed much from the last time Rose saw him. Sirius poured some tea for him and the three of them sat in silence. Dumbledore entwined his fingers on the table and said nothing for some time, lost in thoughts. Rose shifted uncomfortably in her chair eager to know what he wanted from her. At last the headmaster spoke.

"Ah, there is nothing better than a cup of hot tea during such weather, isn't it?"

Both Rose and Sirius stared at him in disbelief. Dumbledore was a genius, there was no mistake about that, but he was also a bit crazy, there's no doubt. He must have noticed their incredulous looks for he suddenly took serious expression.

"I didn't call you to chat about weather, though. Miss Clifton, I hate to upset you but you must know that you are in great danger, now that Voldemort has returned."

"Well, that applies for most of us, wouldn't you say?" said Sirius jokingly, but looked at Rose with worry.

"Undoubtedly we are all in danger, muggles and wizards alike," Dumbledore agreed and took another sip of tea, "but at this moment it is Miss Clifton who has been put in direct peril."

"You are a pure-blooded witch," he continued. "Your family's roots reach to the early years of tenth century. As such you would make a great asset for Death Eaters, without any living family member you could devote yourself entirely to Voldemort's cause."

Rose listened to him in shock. Why her? Her family had never supported You-Know-Who and Death Eaters couldn't have any use for her either way.

"They haven't tried to contact me yet," she said aloud, trying to make her voice strong and confident to hide her fear.

"Oh, I am convinced that it's only matter of time. Voldemort thinks that you're completely unprotected. He'll take his time, he has no need to hurry things up."

"And he is mistaken! There's no way in hell that we will hand Rose over to him!" Sirius exclaimed. He looked at Dumbledore and went on. "We could hide her here. She'd be safe."

"It could be arranged. We'd have to act cautiously, we cannot raise any suspicion..."

Both men were discussing Rose's fate as if she wasn't present. Again, no one had asked for her opinion. They were treating her like a child, even Sirius whom she trusted the most.

_They think me weak. Why would they even bother? I don't know any secrets about the Order. I have no information that Death Eaters don't already possess. There's no point for them to pursue me. Maybe it's for the sole purpose of collecting all purebloods and killing all blood-traitors._

Then, a sudden realisation struck her. Maybe that was why Dumbledore had recruited her. To make sure that she wouldn't join the other side. It was not for her skill or beliefs. She has not been trusted. They wanted to keep her away from You-Know-Who to prevent her from helping him. After all, her family had been completely neutral during first war, they didn't join the Order. Voldemort hadn't managed to recruit them before his downfall. Dumbledore must be afraid now that she would join Death Eaters out of fear or something else. He considered her weak. Not worthy explanation of her situation. He, who was so eager to give everyone second chance, wouldn't give her her first. Rose clenched her fists in anger.

"Enough," she said quietly.

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**So this is it. Tell me what you think, what needs to be improved. If there are some mistakes, please let me know. This is my first story and I would appreciate constructive criticism so I could get better. Thanks for reviews :)**


	3. Naive

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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"What?" Sirius stared at Rose with disbelief.

"I said that it is enough. I appreciate your help, but I can manage by myself. I can't let you all decide what is best for me or what is not."

Sirius looked as if he had been struck by lightning. Dumbledore looked at the girl with unreadable expression on his face.

"Are you kidding? You are young and naïve, you have no idea what these people are capable of," stated Sirius when he regained his composure. "We took part in the first war, when you were couple years old. We saw our friends being tortured and murdered. Death Eaters show no compassion nor mercy. If they are after you, they will do everything in their power to force you to cooperate." He looked at her with stern eyes. "And if you refuse to aid them, they will kill you, but not right away. You heard about my sweet cousin, Bellatrix?"

Rose shuddered unwillingly. She heard about Death Eaters who had escaped this summer from Azkaban. Lestrange, Dolohov, Avery, they were all cold-blooded murderers. Bellatrix was the worst of them. She, alongside her husband Rodolphus and his brother Rabastan tortured Alice and Frank Longbottom to insanity.

Moreover, the son of the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Bartemius Crouch Jr., also took part in that crime and had escaped from Azkaban long before Voldemort's revival. He killed his own father in the last year's time and helped his master in abducting Harry Potter. The boy survived, but Voldemort had returned and begun gathering an army of Death Eaters, dementors and other dark creatures. Crouch had been caught by Dumbledore but managed to flee. Of course, Voldemort wouldn't let his most faithful servant be imprisoned in Azkaban for a second time...

Rose had no idea how Crouch had done this, giving that one couldn't apparate at Hogwarts, but she suspected that he must have used some dirty trick to escape from his guards. Dark magic, for sure.

"I am a member of the Order after all. It'll be fine..."

"You're too young!" said Sirius.

"Oh yeah? That wasn't the thing you said to Harry when he wanted to fight and he's far younger than I am!" Rose replied angrily.

He wasn't her father and shouldn't tell her what to do. Sirius opened his mouth as if to argue but seemed to think better of it and fell silent. He gave Rose a disappointed look but said nothing more. She felt a pang of guilt and regretted her decision for a minute.

_He just wants to have a companion here. But I can't give up. I like him, but I can't let him keep me here like some kind of prisoner._

"Thank you for worrying but really, I'll be fine," the girl said, trying not to look at Sirius who still appeared wounded. "Besides, there's a possibility that Death Eaters won't even think of looking after me. I'm not that important."

Sirius snarled at her words with irritation but she ignored him. Dumbledore shook his head and spoke,

"Do not underestimate yourself, Miss Clifton. Every man has great importance to the world and soon you will see that sometimes those who consider themselves small, later turn out to be essential to the cause."

He looked at her from over his spectacles and she had this odd feeling of being stripped from all of her barriers, it was as if her soul was exposed to him entirely. Rose shifted uncomfortably in her chair.

The headmaster continued,

"I am ready to agree with you, but I'll personally put every protecting charm that I know on your flat and take every action to ensure your safety."

"Thank you, professor," Rose smiled at him genuinely.

She felt great relief, he understood her need to prove herself useful and self-sustained. Maybe she could trust him after all. Sirius was still silent, but Rose didn't dare to look at him. She didn't want to see his angry face. She felt pity for him but it wasn't really her fault that he had to sit at Grimmauld Place doing nothing, it was for his own safety.

Unfortunately, he wasn't going to give up that easily.

"Dumbledore, it is madness! You can't let her do this!"

_Oh crap. Here we go again._

"Sirius, Miss Clifton is an adult and she can make her own decisions," said Dumbledore with tone that ended discussion.

Rose felt awkward. She liked Sirius, she didn't want to ruin their friendship but she had to show him that she wasn't as helpless as everyone seemed to think. The younger man spoke nothing more, sitting and staring at his hands. Rose knew that he was angry. It was getting dark, so the girl decided that is was the best time to leave.

_Before Dumbledore changes his mind._

"I should be going now," she told them, hoping that they wouldn't try to stop her.

It had been a hard day and everyone needed rest, maybe on the following day Sirius would look at the case differently. Rose made a promise in her mind that she'll come by more often to spend some time with him. He was kind to her, she shouldn't be ungrateful.

"Of course. Tomorrow I will come to your place to put my spells on it. Tonight you have to cast basic protecting charms, it should be enough." Dumbledore smiled at her with one of these smiles that reminded Rose her late grandfather.

She stood up, thanked Sirius for the tea and quickly left the house followed by his gaze.

_He's acting very oddly today_, she thought on her way back home. _He has never been so overprotective towards people, especially strangers. We barely know each other, after all._

He had to be awfully lonely and she was his last hope for some other company than Kreacher. Besides, they liked each other's company, Rose often talked and joked with him at the Order's meetings. It pained her that he was upset with her.

The rain had stopped but it was a very cold evening. People on the streets were hurrying to their destinations, not paying attention to their surroundings.

Finally Rose reached her flat. It was small but comfortable, the only thing that she inherited from her parents. On the walls hung paintings, all of them put into wooden frames. They depicted various things: country landscape, small cottage near a forest, a fox hiding in the woods. There was only one painting of people. It presented a tall blonde man who was embracing his wife, her long brown hair fell loosely on her shoulders. Both were smiling. Rose glanced at them before going to the kitchen.

She decided that she'd paint something new on the next day, it helped her relax and forget about all problems. Her father always praised her work... No, she shouldn't think of her parents now. She had tried to come to terms with their death and pondering over the past wouldn't help her.

After eating supper she went straight to bed but not before placing wards around the place.

_It's not as if they're going to attack me on this very night. Still, better safe than sorry_, Rose thought as she slowly drifted to sleep.

How naïve she was to think so.

And how naïve she was to expect that her protecting charms would stop the most dangerous Death Eaters of all time. Bellatrix Lestrange was standing right in front of Rose Clifton's flat, scanning the door with her eyes, smiling widely. The whole building was silent and the only light came from intruders' wands.

"What a clever little girl! She put wards here!" The woman giggled.

"It won't help her," growled a tall man who was standing next to Bellatrix.

He had brown, messy hair and eyes which burned with insanity.

With one flick of his wand the lock was broken, no trace of Rose's charms left. Bellatrix headed straight towards the girl's bedroom, her companion following her closely. The woman approached the bed, bent down and brushed a lock of hair from Rose's forehead.

"Tsk, tsk," she whispered. "Such a lovely, defenceless creature, lying here, unaware of dangers lurking in the darkness..."

The wizard who was with her stood in silence, watched the girl's sleeping form like a wolf watched its prey.

Rose's eyes snapped open, wide from fear. Instinctively, she reached for her wand which lied on bedside table but at that very moment the room was filled with red light and she fell back on her pillow, stunned.

"Now, now Barty, you didn't have to do that! She just wanted to play!" sneered Bellatrix, looking like a little girl in a candy shop.

"There will be plenty of time for that later, during the interrogation," the man grinned widely, stepped forward and took Rose in his arms.

Without another word, he walked towards the door. The witch followed him, beaming at the prospect of torturing the unconscious girl.

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**Again, thank you for reviews :) And many thanks to my beta for helping me with this story :) **

**As always, tell me what you think, what needs to be improved, etc.**


	4. The Dark Lord

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, except OC's.**

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The floor was cold and the room dark.

Rose woke up with a start, not sure what had happened to her. She blinked a couple of times, her eyes adjusting to her new surroundings. It took a few minutes to remember her visit at Grimmauld Place, her talk with Dumbledore, what had happened after, then finally her return home.

The girl shuddered when she recalled Bellatrix's face just before the other Death Eater had stunned her. She tried to control the feeling of panic that slowly rose in her chest. Her hands trembled as she managed to get up and immediately felt slightly dizzy. Her wand was gone.

It seemed that they've put her in a cellar. Rose recognised shapes of boxes and barrels displayed in the room. Her mind was beginning to work properly.

_I have to escape. They'll kill me if I don't._

She glanced around. There were no windows and only one door. Tears started to flow on girl's cheeks when she pulled the door handle in vain. It was locked.

Suddenly, there was a sound of footsteps approaching and the door burst open. Rose managed to step back just in time to avoid getting hit right in the face.

A small, balding man entered the ceiling, holding a wand in front of him to light his way.

_And to curse me on the spot if I tried to flee,_ thought Rose as she eyed the wizard.

"Come. And don't even think about escaping," growled the man and led her up the stairs. They reached the door and proceeded through the hallway.

It was dark but she could see paintings on the walls, all of them pictured people with dark hair and aristocratic features. The men were handsome and the women beautiful, dressed in costumes from various ages. They were nobility for sure.

In time, Rose and her captor passed by an arras which looked like a couple of centuries old, and a case filled with expensive looking objects. The girl felt like she was being led to her execution. It was very likely to happen, after all.

Finally, they reached big, wooden door ornamented with golden carvings of plants. As they entered, Rose felt another attack of panic approaching. And when she saw who was present in the room, she thought she'd collapse right away.

The hall was big with a long table on the centre and grand fireplace on the right. Fire was crackling in it, it's light being the only source in the room. But the girl wasn't paying much attention to her surroundings, too busy staring at the people who were sitting at the end of the table.

It was the first time she saw Lord Voldemort.

He was sitting at the head of the table. Pale, with his red eyes and snake-like nostrils, he resembled a living corpse.

As Rose came closer, she recognised other people from Daily Prophet: a man with black hair and angry expression, Dolohov, a dark-haired woman who looked at the girl with crazy smile, Bellatrix Lestrange, her husband and few other Death Eaters. One of them was Lucius Malfoy. Rose knew about his crimes because of Harry's testimony, wizard society still considered him an esteemed citizen.

The girl felt somewhat relieved when she saw who was sitting next to Malfoy, it was Snape, a spy of the Order. Or so she thought. After all, anyone could be a traitor. He looked at her with unreadable expression on his face. Rose felt her fear rising once again, when she considered a possibility that Snape was in fact loyal to Voldemort and not Dumbledore. He's never been talkative and Rose didn't know much about him beside the fact that he was really mean as a teacher. She didn't know who to trust anymore.

On the right side of Voldemort sat a man with brown hair and dark eyes. He was pale and looked ill. There was a frown on his face, it seemed that he was disgusted by the sight of something.

_Probably of one, certain blood-traitor._

The balding man gave Rose a slight push and she had no other choice but to move forward.

"Ah, you brought our dear guest!" Voldemort exclaimed. "Don't be shy child, come closer!"

The Death Eaters laughed at his words, everyone except Snape. Rose tried to stop tears that were threatening to flow from her eyes. She was paralyzed with fear, her hands trembled and she was sure that her captors sensed her panic. They seemed to be delighted with her suffering.

"Wormtail, where are your manners? Be a gentleman and pull out a chair for the lady!" said Voldemort, bringing another wave of laughter from his servants.

The man who brought Rose hurried to fulfill his command. Rose came closer but didn't sit.

"Take a seat, my dear," the Dark Lord pointed at the chair.

Rose didn't move. She was too terrified to think but somewhere in the back of her head she felt the need to stand up. They were going to kill her either way, so she could at least show some courage. Voldemort looked at her with cold eyes, not happy that she refused to do as she was told.

"I said _sit_," he hissed.

The girl felt her muscles move on their own accord and after few seconds she was sitting in the chair that Wormtail pulled out for her. She cast her eyes down, staring at the table, not looking at the others. They were probably very happy that their master humiliated a blood-traitor. Hell, she was sure that they were waiting with anticipation for his command to torture her. But the desired order didn't come. Instead Voldemort started to talk to them, completely ignoring Rose,

"My so-called friends," he began, "I am very disappointed with you."

The room fell silent. Rose felt a bit of satisfaction when their sneers disappeared and were replaced by fear. She dared to glance at a Death Eater who was sitting across from her. He was petrified.

"You have done nothing to help me, when I needed you the most. You've betrayed me. Abandoned me without second thought. I should kill you all right here."

No one dared to speak. No one, except Bellatrix who looked at her master with adoration and whispered:

"My lord, I have been faithful to you through all these years..."

"I know. You and few others, shall be rewarded beyond your imagination. The rest deserves to die." He looked at them with disgust. "But," he continued, "I am a merciful lord. It would be such a waste to spill noble blood, especially now, when there is not much of it in our society."

One of the Death Eaters smiled weakly in relief. This didn't escape Voldemort's eyes.

"You must surely know, Nott, that there are many other ways to cause pain. Pain that can take away your senses. You can breed without your sanity, Nott. Or your hands, for example. Or legs."

Nott stopped smiling and lowered his eyes in fear.

"I will forgive you all, just this one last time. Do not disappoint me again."

Everyone in the room muttered 'thank you, my lord' then they once again fell silent. Voldemort smiled at them. Rose thought that his smile was far more frightening than his usual face.

"I wouldn't be here, with you, if it weren't for our dear Barty."

The man who sat on Voldemort's right hand bowed his head and said with hoarse voice,

"I live to serve you, my lord. It was a great honor to be able to help you."

Rose noticed that his hands trembled, probably with excitation at hearing his master praise him. So, this was the infamous Barty Crouch Jr., a murderer and a psychopath.

"You are my most faithful Death Eater. Your family is several centuries old, one of oldest pure-blooded families that ever existed, and it would be true loss to our world if the name of Crouch died with you..."

After these words, Voldemort turned his eyes back to Rose. She shivered when he spoke again,

"Our sweet Rose here is of noble parentage too. Her family tree is as ancient as Barty's. It was a shame, really, that I hadn't manage to recruit her parents for our cause before my...supposed downfall. But don't fret my friends, now Rose has a perfect chance to repair their mistakes!"

The Dark Lord showed his teeth in a hideous smile and Rose felt another wave of panic coming. Did he want to recruit her? Could she refuse? Was she brave enough to endure Cruciatus curse and not to give up? She cursed herself repeatedly for not heeding Sirius's advice to stay in his house. It was too late now, and she had to bear the consequences of her own foolishness.

"I won't join you. You'll have to kill me," the girl tried to sound confident but her voice was shaking and her hands were trembling.

The Death Eaters saw and laughed maliciously. Bellatrix exclaimed,

"Kill you? Oh no, no, first we have to play! I wonder how long will you last before you end up in St. Mungo's with the poor Longbottoms... Make sure to send them our best regards when you see them!"

The room shook with laughter. Voldemort silenced the deranged witch with a raise of his hand.

"Now, now Bellatrix, let's not frighten our lovely guest... My sweet child," he said to Rose. "Who said anything about joining my army? I am aware that you're not so fond of our beliefs and you are not very skilled when it comes to fighting. We could use your healing skills of course, but we have our Severus here. No, I have an entirely different role for you."

"As you all know," Voldemort addressed everyone else. "There are not many pure-blooded wizards and witches among our society. I fear that we'll come to our extinction if we don't do something about it. It is very sad indeed, that many members of noble families turned against our cause and became blood traitors. They pair with muggles and mudbloods and taint their precious family lines. It's revolting."

Many Death Eaters nodded their heads in agreement. Crouch looked like he was ready to vomit at the thought of marrying a mudblood or a muggle. Bellatrix frowned in disgust and her husband, Rodolphus, spoke,

"My Lord, anyone who associates with filth deserves to die a traitor's death. We are ready to get rid of all this dirt. We'll fight at your side to the end."

"I appreciate your words, Rodolphus. Your family has been always loyal to me, it will not be forgotten. I'm afraid that if this situation continues we'll have to mix with half-bloods. Our priority is to get rid of mudbloods and conquer muggles, so we won't have to hide anymore but we must not forget to ensure our superiority in other ways. Many of you haven't taken a spouse, there are hardly any small children of noble blood. We have to act now, before it will be too late."

"Barty," Voldemort continued, looking at his most faithful follower, "I promised you a reward for your loyalty. Lord Voldemort keeps his word. I'll give you a chance to continue your family bloodline and bring new pure-blooded wizards and witches to this world. I'll give you a wife of noble parentage, young and beautiful."

The Dark Lord turned his gaze to Rose and she knew that she'd been doomed.

"No!" she screamed, standing abruptly. Her chair fell on the floor but the girl didn't seem to notice that. "There's no way in hell I will marry this psychopath. Kill me if you must but I won't do that. I won't!"

What happened next was the worst experience Rose ever had in her life. As the curse hit her, her body started to writhe in agony. She screamed so loudly that she was sure she'll lose her voice.

_Kill me,_ she thought. _Kill me now, for when Crouch will land his hands on me I'll be far worse than dead._

The pain had stopped and Rose found herself lying on the cold floor. She heard silent footsteps near her head. Lord Voldemort kneeled beside her shivering form and whispered,

"We may do this hard way if you want. You heard what I told Nott, didn't you? I don't care if you'll give Barty a child voluntarily or not. You can give birth without your hands, fingers...You know what? I'm sure that your body could do this even without your soul inside. Do you want me to summon a dementor?"

Rose whimpered. She was disgusted with herself for being such a coward. She knew that she should stand up, curse them all and let them torture her if they wanted to. She knew that she shouldn't surrender. Harry wouldn't do such a thing and Hermione would first kill herself than marry a Death Eater. Sirius would expect Rose to fight back.

_They'll keep me here as a brood mare and when I'll give them what they want, they'll dispose of me._

She had a choice. Live, for now, or die from tortures. A proud Gryffindor would choose death. Rose chose life.

"I'll do it," she whispered faintly.

"Excuse me? I didn't hear you..."

"I'll do what you want," she repeated.

Voldemort smiled at her.

"Good girl. I've known that you were a smart woman. Wormtail!" He addressed the small man, "Take her upstairs. If she flees, you'll die. Bellatrix and Narcissa will help her prepare for the wedding. Lucius, you have to inform your wife."

Rose didn't see other's reaction when she exited the room with Wormtail's help. Crouch didn't say a word and she wondered if he had expected this to happen. Was it truly a reward for him? Or maybe he thought of it as a punishment, to be married to a blood traitor?

After few minutes they reached a bedroom. There was a large four-poster bed with navy blue curtains, a wardrobe, a bookshelf and a desk by the window. The walls had sky blue wallpaper with small darker flowers printed on it. Everything was ornate and beautiful but Rose wasn't paying attention. She collapsed on the bed and cried for a long time before sleep overtook her.

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**Yeah...Voldy is marvellously evil and that's why I love him.**

**Thanks to my beta for making corrections :)**

**And thanks to all of you who reviewed this story, I really appreciate your opinion :)**


	5. The Wedding

The door of the bedroom burst open and Rose woke with a start.

"Get up, sleeping beauty! This is your big day!" Bellatrix Lestrange exclaimed and went to the window to unveil the curtains.

She was followed by another woman, a beautiful woman, Rose noticed. She had long blond hair, blue eyes and a perfect figure. Her face, though, seemed to be carved in ice. She didn't even look at Rose when she placed a couple of boxes on the bed.

Bellatrix came closer and tilted the girl's head to the side with her cold hand.

"She looks awful, Cissy!" she said with a frown.

_Of course I look awful, you stupid hag! I've been tortured and threatened by your precious master! _thought Rose, but kept her mouth shut.

It was then, that she realised what these two witches were actually saying.

"My big day? The wedding is today?!"

"And when would you want it to be? Next year? No, no, we have to make sure that your dear Dumbledore won't make it in time to save you... Personally, I hoped that the Dark Lord would torture you to get information about the Order but this is going to be much funnier! I wonder for how long will you survive..."

Rose was on the verge of tears. Bellatrix noticed.

"Oh, please! Enough of your whining! You must look presentable this afternoon. You'll eat breakfast now and then we'll start preparations. Ministry official will be here at 4 p.m. You will not cry. You'll say the vows and you'll eat and smile at your wedding reception. It'll be just a dinner, Barty doesn't want anything showy."

Rose ate her meal in silence and waited for the women to come back. She was still in shock and couldn't think properly. There was no chance for her to escape, so she just sat there, her mind blurry from fear.

After one hour, the blond woman entered the bedroom, pointed at the door opposite the bed and said quietly,

"There's a bathroom. Take a shower and wash your face. When you're done, come here immediately."

Rose got up and headed towards the door. While in the shower, she seriously considered committing suicide.

_Maybe I could drown myself, or cut my veins... It would be no use, though, because the Ice Queen would 'save' me in no time and then I'd suffer something worse than Cruciatus._ The girl chuckled at the thought._What is going on with me? Am I becoming mad just like Crouch?_

When she exited the bathroom, she noticed that Bellatrix had joined the blond woman. The crazy witch was sitting on a window sill, grinning widely. The other one was preparing cosmetics on a dressing table near the window.

"Come", she said, "I'll try to do something about those swollen eyes of yours. You can't show yourself before our Lord while looking like that."

Rose sat in the chair and glanced at her reflection in a mirror. She looked terrible. Bellatrix smiled at her mischievously.

"Who are you?" Rose asked the blond witch, ignoring the mad one as she didn't want to provoke her.

Sadly, her companion wasn't very talkative. She hadn't responded to any of Rose's questions, pretending to be busy with doing the girl's hair and make-up. Bellatrix, however, was eager to 'cheer up' the bride, and related every dreadful thing she and Crouch had done during summer. Most of her stories contained hunting and torturing mudbloods, some of them were about rapes which many Death Eaters liked to commit on their victims. She told her about Greyback, the cruel werewolf on Voldemort's command. After that, she went on to tell Rose, and spared no detail, about the Longbottoms and how they'd lost their minds.

The girl sat silently through whole ordeal, clenching her fists but not dropping a tear. She knew that Bellatrix had been waiting for her to crumble so she could torment her further. Time had seemed to slow down and every passing minute felt like an hour.

"You've made her very pretty, Cissy," said Bellatrix with a smirk, when the other witch had ended her work on Rose's hair and make-up. "It will be real shame to ruin such good work... Let's hope Barty won't leave any bruises on her face. I have to remind him to cover everything before letting her go outside. If someone were to see her beaten up, it would be a huge problem for us."

The woman's smile grew wider, when she continued, "Well, maybe he'll keep her in his house until she bears him a child, without letting her go anywhere, and then he'll kill her. _I_ wouldn't want some ungrateful blood-traitor to rear my child. I bet he'll dispose of her just after she gives birth."

Rose felt goosebumps on her arms. Desperately, she tried to hide her fear but deep inside she knew that both women were perfectly aware of her panic. Her head felt heavy and the room started to spin when 'Cissy' ordered her to get up and undress. She removed her clothes obediently behind a screen which the older woman had earlier conjured. They gave her white, lacy lingerie and started to dress her in her wedding gown. It was simple, with few small pearls embroidered on the corset. Bellatrix bound the laces on Rose's back so tight, that the girl could barely breathe.

"Don't you worry, dear", she sneered, "Barty will get you free, when he rips it off."

They pinned on a white flower in Rose's hair.

"A rose for Rose," Bellatrix whispered mockingly near the girl's ear.

Someone knocked at the door.

"It's time," came masculine voice from the hallway.

"We're ready, Lucius," responded the blond witch.

The door was opened and Lucius Malfoy strode into the room. He quickly appraised Rose's appearance and said,

"Well done Narcissa, I'm sure that Bartemius will appreciate your work."

"Aren't you forgetting about someone, dear brother-in-law?" said Bellatrix with a frown.

"Yes, Bella, you did good job too, but something tells me that you were rather a bother than a help here," he said with a smirk.

"Let's not argue now," Narcissa quickly interrupted when Bellatrix opened her mouth to talk back.

Lucius gave the dark-haired witch a dirty look and offered his arm to Rose.

"Come, I shall lead you to the altar."

_You mean gallows, _thought Rose, but took his arm obediently and proceeded with him down the hallway, Bellatrix and Narcissa close behind them.

It all felt like a dream. Nightmare, in fact. She barely noticed when they'd entered a big room where Voldemort, Crouch and some man unknown to Rose stood. The man must have been a ministry official as he stood in the centre. Crouch was waiting in front of him with indifferent expression. Voldemort stood nearby, observing calmly the whole situation.

"Ladies and gentlemen. We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of two faithful souls..." said the official.

Faithful souls? Was he blind? Didn't he see that it was all a farce? Rose wanted to shout at him to stop this nonsense, to beg him for help, but she knew that it would be useless.

The ceremony wasn't long. For Rose it went almost too quickly.

"I, Bartemius, take you, Rose, for my lawful wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, until death do us part."

She had no choice but to repeat his words,

"I, Rose, take you, Bartemius, for my lawful husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, until death do us part."

Tears brimmed her eyes when it was all over and the ceremony official declared them to be husband and wife.

"You may now kiss the bride," the man said with a sickening, sweet smile.

Crouch leaned forward and Rose shut her eyes when he gave her a quick kiss. When she opened them he offered her his arm without sparing her a glance and led her to a room where Voldemort have been threatening her the day before. They sat at the table in silence. Voldemort congratulated them as if they were a perfectly normal couple. Bellatrix looked at Rose from time to time, grinning widely.

Rose barely touched her food. She was afraid that her fork would fall from her grip, her hands were shaking so violently. She hid them under the table, glancing nervously at her new husband. He looked completely calm, he wasn't smiling, but he didn't have a frown on his face either. He was eating his meal slowly, speaking only to answer a few questions from his master. To Rose, he appeared awfully _normal_. If she saw him on the street, she would never consider him an insane person. He was actually quite handsome.

_No, no, no, he's not handsome. Monsters are not_ _pretty, _thought Rose.

After all, Dumbledore said once that Voldemort had been a very handsome young man too, before he destroyed himself with Dark Magic. He had been using his good looks to manipulate people and get what he wanted from them.

_Will he beat me tonight? _wondered Rose, _Will he take me by force? He hasn't spoken a word to me. Will he ever talk with me? Will I be tortured? Humiliated? Will he respect me just a little?_

It was dark outside, when Voldemort stood up and spoke,

"Thank you for your company, my friends. I presume it's time for the newlyweds to spend some time alone, at their home."

After that he exited the room. Everyone, except Rose, bowed at this.

Crouch took her by the arm and stepped into the large fireplace, leaving the rest in silence. They swirled and turned for a minute, than came out on a carpet in a large living room. It was furnished with dark green. There was a baroque couch and armchairs, and a table and bookcases with glass shelves, these pieces looked like they were made from oak and a couple centuries old, for sure. The room would be quite pleasant if it wasn't for the feeling of it having not being inhabited for a long time. There was an unsettling silence in the house.

"Where are we?" asked Rose quietly.

"At home," her husband responded and without another word led her out of the room.

They climbed the stairs and after some time they stopped in front of wooden door. Crouch opened them and pushed the girl inside. The room contained large, four-posted bed, a desk, a dressing table, a wardrobe and small bookcase. The curtains of the bed and on the windows, the upholstering of armchairs were all cream-coloured. The walls were painted purple, the ceiling was also cream-coloured as was the fluffy rug which lay on the floor. The bedroom was lit by a small lamp on the bedside table.

Rose was standing in the middle of the room when she heard the door close. She turned around and saw her new husband, who was now grinning widely, slowly approaching her. He flicked his tongue in a snake-like way. She stepped back and immediately burst into tears.

"No, no, you don't have to be afraid of me," he told her, taking slow steps towards her.

His expression, though, showed that she had every right to be terrified. Rose sobbed when he leaned forward to took the white rose out of her hair. He held it in front of her eyes when he spoke to her. His smile was gone now, and he looked at her seriously.

"If you'll be obedient, I won't have to hurt you. Try to escape and I'll punish you severely. Fight back and you'll know what real pain is."

After these quiet words, he crushed the flower in his hand. White petals fell on the floor. Rose trembled uncontrollably and sunk onto her knees.

"No, please, I beg you, don't do it! Don't! Wait just one week, one day, but not now, please!" She cried while clutching his legs. She didn't care that she looked pathetic, all that she could think of was to somehow avoid the unavoidable. Crouch seemed to be unfazed by her pleadings. He bent down and lifted her up in his arms, before placing her on the bed.

"It has to be done now," he whispered as a wicked smile of before returned on his face now.

Then he kissed her gently. She tried to push him away, but he just held her tighter.

"Don't fight," the man purred. "You belong to me. The Dark Lord said so. Nothing is going to change that."

Rose let out a small whimper but stopped resisting. She closed her eyes and tried to remember the warm feeling of her mother's arms, the safety of her little flat, Sirius's jokes and Dumbledore's smile...Everything, just to shut herself off from the man in front of her.

The night went on peacefully as Barty Crouch Jr. claimed her as his own.

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**That's it, please let me know what you think :)**

**Thanks to my beta for making corrections, it's really helpful:)**


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